The Soulmate AU
by thegirlfrommod4A
Summary: I've been casting around for an AU idea for a while, and finally settled on soulmate tattoos. All chapters take place in the same universe, one chapter for each soulmate pairing. (or, in one case, group of three). Reviews welcome as ever :)
1. Frankenwolf

**I own nothing originally from OUAT. I'm starting this AU with Frankenwolf because I miss them :) Feel free to let me know what you think!**

Ruby was not bitter. There was nothing wrong with not meeting your soulmate by 27, nothing at all. It was just…irritating. Some of her friends had known for a decade at this point. Hell, Aurora and Phillip has known for two, even if they were still looking for a third. And because Ruby was not bitter, bitterness had nothing to do with the fact that she spent nearly every weekend in bars alone, not out with her adorably soulmated friends.

She would, however, allow that irritation may have contributed to her affection for a good cosmopolitan.

And it wasn't like Ruby hadn't tried. The words curling in their proper place around her right bicep read "I'd enjoy playing doctor a lot more if all my patients were as good looking as you," so go to the doctor she did. She visited for even a minor cold, hoping that maybe this one would be the one. She went with her friends when they wanted someone to tag along, and since they knew what her words were, she was usually invited. She took a route to work that passed by a hospital.

On her 24th birthday, Ruby stopped trying. Alice had just met her soulmate, Cyrus, at the doctor's office while Ruby had run to the bathroom, and it seemed like a sign. Instead, Ruby decided to have some fun. Who needed a soulmate when there were pretty boys at the Rabbit Hole like Peter and Billy and…It worked for a while, it really did. She had fun, and she learned some things she was sure her future soulmate would appreciate.

By 26, Ruby was tired. She had just inherited the diner from Granny and she loved her work, but it meant she had to tone down the going out, which ended up being fine. It was harder and harder going home with boys whom she knew weren't right, especially as the age gap grew wider. And besides, she now had people looking up to her, Ashley and Meg and Anna and how crazy was that? It felt good, it felt right, and who needed a soulmate when you were running a business and practically mentoring a few kids and...

Still. It was hard going to everyone else's weddings without a plus one.

She did find some time to go the Rabbit Hole though, having developed a friendship with one of the bartenders. Will Scarlet's words read "Something for the end of the world," and she was always happy to taste test.

"Try this love," he said one particular evening.

"I'm in the middle of my baby!" Ruby replied, lifting her martini glass.

"Fine. After that."

"Alright, but this better be good."

Ruby finished her drink, then took the one Will handed to her. Sipped.

"This is it Will. This is the one for the end of the world."

The drink was strong and dark in her mouth, smooth going down. A drink for the days when Mary Margaret was crooning about her new baby, or Emma was swooning over Killian. A drink for the end of the world. Ruby finished it quickly, then stood up.

"I'd better get going," she said. "Brunch plans tomorrow."

"Cheers," Will answered. "And thanks."

Ruby made it to the exit just fine, but stepping out the door she pitched forwards. Will's drink had been strong and she was in stilettos and she hit the pavement with a sickening crack.

Will was by her side in an instant, helping her up to sit on the smoking bench and yelling for someone to call an ambulance. It felt like a lifetime until she heard the sirens, her right knee screaming in pain. When the vehicle got to them, the medics lifted her into the ambulance, and she promised to call Will as the doors closed.

Ruby blacked out.

When she came to, she heard a male voice saying "It's a fractured kneecap and a sprained ankle, nothing too severe."

"Alright doctor," replied a woman, and then there were footsteps going farther away.

Ruby opened her eyes to see a handsome blonde man checking over his clipboard.

"I'd have fractured my kneecap sooner if I knew someone so good looking would be playing doctor." She mumbled absentmindedly.

He looked up.

"I'd enjoy playing doctor a lot more if all my patients were as good looking as you" he replied, a grin unfurling across his face.

Oh.

"Well doc, I'm Ruby. And it looks like you're going to be playing doctor a lot."

"Nice to meet you Ruby. I'm Victor."

("I used to wince every time I read my arm." He confessed to her later. "Sorry we had to meet like that"

"I'm not." She answered, after a moment of thought. "Kind of wish it had been sooner though."

"Me too. But I did need time to get through med school, it isn't like I had much choice."

"Well, you doomed me to vanity, so I guess we're even."

"I guess we are," he replied. And kissed her.)


	2. Captain Swan

**Good Afternoon everyone, and a million thanks to those who have read this lovely tale I don't own so far. Here we have Emma and Killian, both because they're one of my favorite ships on the OUAT sea, and because my lovely reviewer ShadowAngel100 requested them :)**

Emma Swan sighed and rubbed her forehead. This case was giving her a headache, with dead end after dead end, and now that they had finally got a suspect into custody, he wasn't saying a word. Or rather, he was only saying four.

"'I didn't do it' he claims" David repeats, throwing his hands into the air. "That's all he'll say. He has means, motive, and won't give an alibi. What are we supposed to think?"

"Take a break while I go in." Emma instructed, then went into the police department's small interrogation room with the man.

Holy crap he was much better looking than the pictures. She got straight to the point, but her words came out a little more suggestively than she would have liked. "Please start talking, or I'll have to use some very interesting methods of persuasion."

"Well, I think we'd both enjoy that officer." The man replied.

Damn. Okay then.

Emma managed to regroup quickly.

"Mr. Jones, we may be soulmates, but I have no intention of living out the rest of my life with a thief. Now. Please tell me what I want to know."

"Well, I'd like to know your name, love. Seems quite unfair that you know mine."

Emma smirked. She could work with this.

"Give me an alibi. Where were you from 6-8pm on Sunday? You give me an answer, I'll give you one."

"Fair enough," said the man, inclining his head. "I was at home. I left Imperial Gym around 6, Frederick Knight can confirm that, then stopped by Granny's for dinner. Ashley was my waitress. Left there at about 7:30, got home a little before 8. No one to confirm that but my cat Smee. You're welcome to try and ask."

Emma knew that David, who had been watching from the other side of the glass, would call both the gym and the diner to check.

"I believe I was promised something?" Said Mr. Jones.

"I promised nothing." Emma replied, and left.

"Graham, where are we on the financials?" she asked, returning to the department's main room and ignoring both men's looks.

"Jones is doing fine working as a locksmith, he may have a grudge against Gold but he has no need for the money. I did learn something interesting though. Gold's pawn shop is in trouble, but everything in it is well insured. The theft of the diamonds would bring in a hefty profit."

"Jones' alibi checks out." David added, getting off of the phone. "Frederick says Jones spent some time sparring with both him and Lance, then headed out. I called Ruby at Granny's, she texted Ashley who confirmed serving a man of his description."

"Okay." Emma said. "Release Jones, and go double check the cameras, I know they were out but see if we can get anything good from right before and after."

"On it" said Graham, heading out the door.

David raised his eyebrows at Emma.

"You wanna walk him out?"

"Nope. Just wanna finish the case."

"Fine."

David went and got the man, walking him out past Emma. Embarrassed, she refused to look up from her rechecking of the pawnshop's finances. However, when she heard the door open she couldn't resist glancing over. Killian Jones was looking back at her, and when their eyes met, a roguish grin stretched across his face. David cleared his throat, and Emma jerked a nod, not breaking eye contact. David's mouth twisted, but he finished walking the former suspect out. No sooner had he returned to his desk then Emma's personal cell began to ring. Mostly reburied in sales records, she picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey"

"I was wondering, Emma Swan, If you would like to get Granny's with me this evening."

Emma's head snapped up and she glared at David, who shrugged.

"Soulmate" he mouthed.

Emma sighed. Considering he wasn't a thief, she could certainly do worse than a business owner who spent time at both the gym and Granny's. Especially one who looked like that.

"Alright Killian Jones." She replied. "But we're going Dutch on the check. 7 tonight?"

"I do like a feisty lass." The man chuckled. "7 tonight it is."

Emma was smiling as she hung up the phone.


	3. Snowing

**Chapter 3! I know this story is called The Soulmate AU, but an alternate title is The Story I Don't Own. This chapter we have Snowing, as requested by Emma. Just to be clear, I know what ships I'm doing, but I'm flexible on order. If you have a request, put it up and I'll see what I can do :)**

It was pouring rain and David was shivering under his umbrella. The day itself was warm enough, he supposed, but the dampness had seeped in through his clothing, making it seem much chillier. All he wanted was to get back to his dorm room, put on some old sweats, and crank up some music. While he wrote his paper, of course. But first, he had to wait at this crosswalk.

Out of nowhere, a girl skittered to a halt beside him wearing running clothes: leggings and a tank top. As she came to a stop about a foot to his left, bouncing to keep warm, one of her earbuds fell out and he took the opportunity to speak to her.

"Would you like to stand under my umbrella?" he offered. But the sign switched to walk as she put her earbud back, and the only reply he got was a shouted "I'm running here!".

* * *

Mary Margaret was in the shower before the guy at the crosswalk's words permeated her brain through the Joan Jett she had been blaring and the post-run euphoria. To be specific, she was running the bar of soap over her right bicep.

"Damn!" she shouted.

Her roommate, Ruby, poked her head into the bathroom.

"You okay girl?" she asked.

"One sec," Mary Margaret sighed. "And can you get the girls over here while I dry off?"

"Sure thing!" Ruby replied, and by the time Mary Margaret was in pajamas, her cousin Regina and Regina's roommate Ariel were in the room.

"Guys I totally blew off my soulmate today!" Mary Margaret moaned.

"You did what?" Regina demanded.

"I was running in the rain ("nutcase," Ariel muttered) and this guy offered his umbrella to me at the crosswalk! And I was so caught up in my run I didn't even process it until just now. What am I gonna do?" she moaned.

"Look for him I suppose," Regina replied, dry as ever. "You two are meant to find each other. So calm down a little, I'm sure you'll see him again soon enough."

"If you give us a general description, we can help!" Ariel added. "Shoot you a text or something if we see someone who looks like him!"

"Blonde." Mary Margaret answered. "little bit of stubble, um, tall. Like, 6 feet at least. I don't remember much more."

"Well, blonde narrows it down at least somewhat," Regina commented practically.

"Attractive?" Ruby asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"Oh shut up" Mary Margaret mumbled, shoving the other girl.

For the next week, Mary Margaret's life went on as usual. She ran, she went to the archery range with Robin and Merida, she did her schoolwork. Every now and again she got a text with an announcement of a blonde guy, but it was never the right one.

"Local Hero Saves Child at Bus Stop!" read the newspaper headline.

The slightly blurry cover photo was of a man holding a little girl in his arms. Mary Margaret nearly dropped the paper, but she read on.

"Around 8am yesterday morning, 6 year old Ava Tillman stumbled in front of a bus that was just departing for the next stop. Thankfully, a local college student was there to help. The girl's father, Michael Tillman, told the paper how glad he was that the young man was there to help, pulling his daughter back and out of the way. The bus driver, a Walter Clark, said that he did not see the girl fall into the street, and deeply regrets all trouble that may have been caused. The man himself could not be reached for comment, but our community certainly thanks him for his service."

"Shoot." Marry Margaret said out loud. "Okay, think."

Mary Margaret's first stop was the newspaper office, where she told them she was looking for the local hero. They were sympathetic when they learned of her situation, but said that he had been gone by the time they talked to Tillman. The editor in chief, however, was able to give her the Tillmans' address.

When she got to the door, the little girl from the photograph opened it up, with a man Mary Margaret assumed was her father standing behind her.

"Good afternoon," she began, but was quickly cut off.

"If you're another reporter looking to interview that kid, you're not getting his name from me. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, shoving her foot in the door. "I'm not a reporter! I'm his soulmate. I, umm, kind of lost him." She explained.

Tillman reopened the door.

"I'm going to need an explanation on that." He said. "Come in for a cup of tea."

* * *

"Delete, delete, delete," David mumbled to himself as he went through his e-mail inbox. No, he did not want interviews with every single local paper in the region. All he wanted was to find (refind?) his soulmate. The girl with black hair who had been running. His roommate, Frederick, had also been put on alert, but neither of them had seen her. Just then he heard a knock on his door.

"One minute," he called, rolling off the bed.

"Did you forg-"

"Hi." Said the girl in his doorway. "I'm Mary Margaret. I'm sorry I ran away."

"Well Mary Margaret," he replied, after he got his thoughts together, "I'm David, but I think you already knew that. I'm also sorry you ran away. Please don't do it again."

Her grin was incandescent.

"I won't."


	4. ArielEric

**Here's chapter four of the story I don't own. Thanks as always go to all of my wonderful reviewers so far! Ariel and Eric are one of those pairings I love, but that we don't get to see a lot of in the show, so a lot of this comes from Disney canon. Hopefully that's okay with all of you!**

For the first 18 years of her life, Ariel had been terrified of finding her soulmate. The words that had been written around her right bicep mentioned an adventure, and her little town got very, very busy with tourists wanting adventures on the ocean, a boat ride or snorkeling or some such thing. Though most residents were happy with their lives, all Ariel wanted was to get out of the little beach village, not get stuck there. As a result, she avoided talking to others, gaining a reputation for being a bit strange as a result.

She did however, make one friend. Belle, her neighbor, also wanted to travel and the two of them spent many an afternoon poring over books about far-away places. When it came time to go to college, therefore, it was only natural that they go together, the only two to leave their little hamlet.

Saturday of move-in, Ariel helped Belle settle into her dorm room, the other nametag on the door reading "Guinevere." They then headed for Ariel's dorm to do the same. Their parents, of course hadn't bothered to come. Both Mo French and Triton Seadon's involvements in their daughters' lives centered on trying to keep them home. When it hadn't worked, the two men had all but disowned their daughters.

Ariel's room turned out to already be half full, two dark-haired girls sitting and chatting on the made bed.

"Hey, I'm Regina, I'm your roommate," began the one with the bob, "and this is my cousin, Mary Margaret. She lives downstairs."

Ariel and Belle introduced themselves, and the cousins helped them to move Ariel in. The four of them got dinner together, and then headed back to their own rooms after a long day of unpacking.

"Hey Regina," Ariel mumbled as they were drifting off.

"mmhmm?"

"Do you know what there is to do around here? I want to start learning the area before classes start."

"The rec center does hiking trips in the state park if that's your thing."

"Okay,"

Sunday morning saw Ariel headed to the rec center wearing sturdy boot, jeans, and a purple tank top, her water bottle and camera in a mint green drawstring bag. When she got to the desk, a clump of students had already formed, dressed similarly to her. Ariel made her way up to the front desk, where a black-haired guy was bent over the computer. She cleared her throat.

"One more for the adventure crew excursion?" he asked, not looking up.

"And maybe dinner afterwards?" Ariel squeaked.

The guy straightened up, giving her a once over. His eves zeroed in on her right arm and he smiled, but something was off.

"I don't know." He replied.

Ariel was about to protest when a young woman with dark brown hair sashayed over, kissing computer guy ("Eric" she thought to herself, finally noticing his nametag,) on the cheek before looping her arm with his.

"Hey, I'm Ursula," the girl said, sticking out her hand.

"Ariel," she replied.

Ursula's face went suddenly ugly as she noticed the words on Ariel's arm.

"Ery, don't you think it will be hard keeping track of too many people," she pouted.

Eric looked torn, but eventually nodded.

"Urs is right." He said, "I'm sorry Ariel."

"Right. So, I'll, ummm, see you around." She said, and left.

The problem was that she couldn't stop running into him. When she went to the gym, at the dining hall, the library, even when she was doing her laundry for crying out loud, he was there. No matter how hard she tried to avoid him, he always popped up. And he always seemed to want to say something to her, but never did.

Finally, about a month into the semester, he walked up to her as she was on her way to class.

"Look, ummm, Ursula and I broke up."

The words came out in a hurry, tumbling over each other. Ariel stopped in her tracks, then thought better of it, walking over to a nearby bench. They sat, and Eric rolled up his sleeve. The words, as she had expected, read "And maybe dinner afterwards?"

"So why were you with her?" Ariel demanded, a little too annoyed to be polite.

"She said 'Maybe dinner afterwards'" he replied. "That was two years ago, and I generally greet people with 'Are you here for the adventure club excursion?' The only exceptions are her and now you. I thought it made sense that I had just missed the 'and.' But then you showed up, and I didn't want to hurt her, and…I'm sorry."

"It makes sense." Ariel replied thoughtfully. "But why now?"

"Someone else greeted Ursula the same way when she was on a trip this weekend, and her words matched exactly. Girl named Mal. Plus, Ursula and Mal both have sets on their left arms too. I never did."

"A double set?" Ariel replied. "It's funny, I've heard they're super rare, but now I know two people. Mulan, from the gym has them."

"Go figure." Eric answered. There was a moment of silence.

Eric broke it.

"So, umm, how about we get that dinner. Tonight."

"Or we could get lunch, right now."

He smiled. "Lunch right now it is."

 **A couple of notes: Ursula and Mal's third is Cruella, I won't be doing a story for them but I still wanted to give them a shout out, and establish that there are groups of three besides the one I will be writing. Also, these chapters seem to be getting longer. It isn't intentional, it just happens to be what's coming out of my head. Reviews, as mentioned above, are loved.**


	5. Outlaw Queen

**I DON'T OWN ANYTHING. I am, however, very sorry that the update has taken this long. I had finals, and final projects, and a vacation, and a breakup, work, and it all kinda spiraled out of control for a minute there. Outlaw Queen was requested, plus I figured we could all use some Robin/Regina love. As always, let me know what you think, and feel free to throw pairings at me and I'll see what I can do. Next update time shouldn't be nearly as long :)**

Regina bit her lip as she looked around the café. The furniture gleamed, all the day's offerings were laid out neatly behind the counter, she had triple checked that the register was set up properly…what was she forgetting? This was the Apple Tree's opening day and everything had to be perfect. She took a deep breath, and jumped as the phone in the back started ringing.

"Hey sweetie," said the voice on the other side.

"Hey Daddy" Regina answered.

"Just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you, and that I know the shop is going to do well. How could it not when you've been cooking since you could see over the stove?"

"I think you mean how could it not after I spent all that time and money on business school" Regina half laughed half grumbled.

"That too." He answered. "I am so sorry I couldn't be there, this business trip came up so last minute."

"Its ok Daddy, have a good trip."

"Love you Apple Face"

"Love you too."

As she hung up the phone, Regina heard the jingling of the bells on the door. She was sure she hadn't unlocked yet, rushing out in a panic to see a man looking over the Alice's art, for sale on the walls.

"Are you trying to steal from me?" she blurted out.

"I'm not, but I'd very much like to steal your heart." He answered.

Regina groaned a little. She had just insinuated her soulmate was a criminal, and he must have known it was coming! He, however, seemed fully unbothered.

"I can understand the confusion," he continued, "The door says you open at 7:30, and it's only 7:15. I was a bit perplexed to find the door unlocked myself."

"Oh!" Regina exclaimed. "I must have forgotten to relock it after picking up the paper this morning."

"Ah, I see." The man replied.

Suddenly, Regina realized something.

"I'm Regina," she said, not knowing the appropriate motion. A handshake seemed too formal, a hug too intimate.

"I know," he replied somewhat awkwardly. "I'm Robin. Mary Margaret told everyone we had to be at the opening of her cousin's divine new bake shop."

"Wait a minute," Regina said, eyes narrowing, "Mary Margaret?"

"Yes, we used to shoot together in school."

"So she's seen your words?"

"Yes, we talked about them before she met David…oh."

Ever since being reunited with her own soulmate at the end of their junior year, Mary Margaret had developed a habit of trying to put other pairs together. Frankly, she was a little surprised this hadn't happened sooner, though she supposed her cousin wanted to give her some space as she set up the bakery.

"I suppose she told you 7:15?" Regina asked, brows raised.

"She did. Which was why I tried the door before looking at the sign."

Regina rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Well Robin, I can't make a habit of it, but I suppose my first order will be on the house."

"Au contrair m'lady, I would be honored to be your first sale."

"The step into my office" Regina laughed.

She scooted behind the register, ringing up the apple Danish and black coffee he ordered for breakfast. Most of the money he paid with went into the register, but on the last dollar bill, she thought a little and closed the drawer without it.

"To new beginnings" she wrote in sharpie, signing her name with a flourish and passing both bill and marker to Robin. He signed it as well, and they hung it up behind the counter.

When Mary Margaret came in later with Merida, it was to see Robin eating at the counter and chatting with Regina between customers.

"You owe me five bucks" Mary Margaret murmured to the redhead.

"I heard that!" Regina called.


	6. AnnaKristoff

**Hey all! Welcome back to the story who's characters I do not own. We're going with Anna and Kristoff this time, a somewhat younger set than the previous ones. For context, my headcanon is that most people meet their soulmate sometime between eighteen and twenty three. So Ruby, starting out, was definitely outside of that range. Emma and Regina were at the top end, Mary Margaret and Ariel hit it straight on. These two are a little young, since in my head Anna is in her sophomore year of high school, and Kristoff is a junior.**

"Good morning!" Anna exclaimed, walking up to the counter of "Granny's", a cheerful diner in her new hometown.

"Hi there!" said the blonde behind the counter, who's nametag read "Ashley"

"What can I get you?"

"A latte please, and I'd love to speak with the manager,"

"Latte it is," Ashley replied, "and Ruby should be in…" she glanced at the clock. "Now."

Sure enough, the door swung open and in walked a woman in the brightest red skinny jeans Anna had ever seen.

"Hey Rubes! This girl was hoping to talk to you." Ashley declared, waving a hand in Anna's direction."

"Hi! I'm Ruby, owner and proprietor of this lovely locale. Shall we sit?"

The woman said.

Anna was struck a bit dumb.

"You don't look like anyone's grandmother" she blurted out as they slid into a booth, Ashley dropping off the latte.

Ruby laughed. "That I am not. My grandmother passed this place down to me about a year ago."

"That makes sense. My older sister Elsa and I just moved to town and I…umm…noticed the help wanted sign in the window."

"Yep! Things have been getting busier lately, and we could use another set of hands. Do you have any experience?"

Anna and Ruby chattered away while Ashley worked the counter. After about 20 minutes, Ruby smiled.

"Well Miss Anna, I think you'll fit in quite well here. You've met Ashley and I, and our last employee Meg will be by later. If you'd like to stop by and meet her, you're welcome to, or you can just wait until you work together. Do you have any questions for me?"

Anna rubbed her arm.

"Do you know where the nearest ice rink is?"

6 months later, Anna and Elsa were fairly settled in their new home, Anna working and attending high school while Elsa commuted to the nearby college that they had moved for in the first place. One afternoon, Anna had just clocked in to work when a nervous looking blonde guy about her age set the bells above the entrance chiming. Before Anna could say anything, he did.

"I'm wondering where the nearest ice rink is." He mumbled.

The directions Ruby had given her months ago suddenly flew out of her head, and she gaped for a minute before coming to her senses.

"Um, four blocks straight out the door, and then right for three."

The guy blushed and turned shy.

"Hi, I'm Kristoff and I, well, I guess I'm your soulmate," he said, sticking out his hand.

"I'm Anna", she answered, smiling and shaking. "What do you need an ice rink for?"

"I, uh, kinda have some anxiety. Moving to a new place definitely doesn't help, but skating calms me down, so…"he drifted off seeming unsure of himself.

Anna had always been worried that "Ice rink" would mean an awful, obnoxious hockey player, like Hans, her middle school boyfriend who kissed her without asking, turned into. But this sweet, shy guy…she smiled softly.

"Tell you what. My shift ends at 8. You wanna go skate, then come back here for some cocoa to warm you up? On the house. We could talk about you or me or school or anything really."

He returned her smile. "Cocoa sounds wonderful."


	7. Frozen Jewel

I'm just sitting here, owning nothing, writing stories...

Elsa sighed and sipped her cocktail, swinging her legs against the barstool impatiently. This was what she got for being on time, a fat lot of nothing, and a whole lot of unwanted advances. True, Tony's Restaurant catered to a more polite clientele than, say, the Rabbit Hole, but the empty space next to her apparently still screamed "Talk to me," to every guy who walked in the door.

Granted, she mused, signaling Tony Jr. for another negroni, it wasn't like she should have expected Emma to be on time. Punctuality had never been her roommate's strong suit, and now that she had Killian to delay her further…She liked the man, she really did, and it meant that she now had the apartment to herself more often than not. And it wasn't like he had to bring out Emma's bad habits. Weren't soulmates supposed to bring out the best in each other?

Her reverie was interrupted by the man who had just walked up to the spot nest to her, who had signaled Tony Jr. and then turned to face her. Elsa braced herself for another bad pickup line.

"You look like you're waiting for someone," he said.

She waited for the "could it be me?" or something equally corny, but instead the man stayed silent, like he was actually asking. Well then.

"My roommate, her soulmate, and his brother." Elsa replied.

"Sounds like a lovely evening! In the meantime, I hope I'll do." The man said, smiling and pushing up the right sleeve of his polo shirt to reveal her reply in black on his arm.

Elsa studied him, this man who was apparently made for her, closely. Tall, very blue eyes, curly hair, and pushing up the sleeve had revealed a muscular arm.

"I believe you will," she finally replied, pushing off her shawl to reveal her own soulmark. "I'm Elsa Nielsen."

"Liam Jones" He replied, as Tony Jr. made it over. Something itched in the back of her mind, but Elsa ignored it. Jones was a common last name.

"So, what time were you supposed to meet your group?" he queried after ordering a beer.

"8 o'clock, but you can see how well that worked out." Elsa said, waving her hand at the clock on the wall, which now read 8:20.

"You know," Liam said carefully. "I was supposed to meet my brother, his soulmate, and her roommate here at 8 o'clock, but I got caught in traffic."

"I see." Elsa replied. "You could have mentioned that."

"I am aware. I suppose I was hoping to be judged on my own merits, rather than being immediately associated with my brother."

Elsa considered, but as she was about to speak, the door opened again and Emma and Killian stepped through.

"Ah, you two have met!" Killian exclaimed, utterly unapologetic about the delay.

Emma, on the other hand, was a bit less cavalier. "I am sorry we're so late." she remarked to Elsa. "I should have called or texted."

"You should have," Elsa, said absentmindedly.

Emma looked a tad awkward. "I do hope you and Liam weren't too uncomfortable waiting. The two of you could have huffed and puffed about being responsible older siblings or something." She murmured as they walked behind the Jones brothers to their table.

"There was a bit of miscommunication." Elsa replied, after a pause. She glanced across the table to where Liam and Killian were bickering as she the two women sat down. "But I think it's going to work out great."

Liam looked over at that moment and caught her eye with a questioning look. She smiled in return.

"Actually," Elsa began, "We have something to tell you"

Reviews welcome :)


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